A number of systems and methods are known for growing vegetation. In the recent past there has been an increased focus on the use of hydroponic nutrient delivery systems for growing vegetation. With such hydroponic systems, vegetation is grown in water containing mineral nutrient solutions instead of the more common methods of growing vegetation in soil. There are many benefits to growing vegetation with hydroponic techniques. It is generally believed that much higher crop yields can be produced using hydroponic growing techniques and also such techniques can be used in areas where in-ground agriculture or gardening are not possible.
There are two types of hydroponic techniques that appear to be the most efficient and productive. One of these techniques is called the nutrient film technique (NFT) and includes a system which makes use of a channel that has a film of nutrient solution that runs along the bottom of the channel. This channel houses the roots of the plant with the roots of the plant sitting down into the thin film of nutrient as it flows down through the channel. In this manner the roots receive ample food and oxygen from the system.
As is typical with the systems in the hydroponics industry which employ the NFT, the channels and therefore the plants are arranged on a flat plane that is located below a central source of light. The light that is emitted from the central source, cascades down upon the plants located within the channel which in turn grow upward in the direction of the source of light. In the known systems, the lumens of the light from the central source decrease as they progress in a cone shape towards the plants and the further out that the light radiates from the bulb/bulbs the weaker the intensity of the light becomes. The problem has always existed that the plants located further away from the central source of light receive less light in comparison to the plants located in the center of the grow chamber. This typically results in an uneven grow pattern and a reduction in the efficiency of the system, i.e. the plants located closer to the light source grow faster than the plants that are located further away from the light source. As a result, the plants that are located closer to the light source become taller and tend to block the light from the smaller plants that are located further away from the light source.